Sighnaghi is attacked by natural disaster. The landslide has destroyed
part of the main road at the entrance to the town and damaged nearly 40
houses. Representatives of the Environmental Ministry have already
explored the area. Geologists concluded that because of extremely
complicated engineer-geological situation, thorough explorations should
be carried out in Sighnaghi. They should carry out various activities
to prevent the land sliding and it will take long time. Meanwhile, as
specialists claim, the landslide might become more active and many
towns might be threatened with the natural disaster.

The
pre-election meetings of Levan Gachechiladze, presidential candidate of
the United Public Movement, with the citizens of Samegrelo ended in an
incident. After Chkhorotsku and Tsalenjikha the government tried to
provoke the dispersal of peaceful manifestation using the activists of
the National Movement in Zugdidi. Unlike October 28, when the leaders
of the United Opposition were beaten, new faces appeared at the
demonstration on December 26th, but at the backstage Georgian
celebrities were seen.

The Human Rights Center is carrying out polls regarding the future plans of action of political parties and presidential candidates. The Center requested the candidates to provide their vision regarding the Abkhazian and Tskhinvali regions. Davit Gamkrelidze was the first and only candidate who replied to the Center. Here is the plan of action of Gamkrelidze.

“The entrance was your prerogative but you will not be able to leave this place until the event is over,” the deceived students were told.

The students of Kutaisi Akaki Tsereteli State University appealed to the Human Rights Centre’s Kutaisi Office. On December 23rd, 2007 they were invited to Kutaisi Lado Meskhishvili Theatre and were not allowed to leave the theatre hall for about an hour.

Is there any kind of controversy between Zaza Gorozia, the regional governor and MP Kobalia?!

In the nearest future JSC “Enguri Medical Complex” might be closed down and IDPs will be exiled from the Hotel “Odishi”. Opposing parties and the society widely discuss this information in Zugdidi; though there is no official document to prove it. The information as if certain Turkish businessman has purchased the hotel and IDPs residing there will be lodged into the JSC “Enguri Medical Complex” is only discussed on public level.

Despite promises the employment program has not been started yet. The state program of professional recruiting, which aimed at involving and employing 100 thousand people, has started in the country a month before the election. The program was to be implemented throughout the country but after several-day-registration in Tbilisi the program was suspended. According to the latest information the program will be renewed in the regions from February.

The opposition discovers new pre-election problems every day. For example, the Republicans have information that teachers in Kaspi are forced to visit every family and ask everyone who they are voting for. According to political party New Rights the government will use 3 000 votes of Jehovah’s witnesses in Gori. It needs to be mentioned that Ajadar Ogli Iasimi, an inhabitant of the village of Perma in the Kaspi district, is registered in three different polling stations under three different names: Ajadar Ogli Iasi, Ajadar Ogli Iasim and Ajadar Ogli Iasimi.

The report of the Human Rights Watch, “Crossing the Line’, that deals with the events of November 7 in Tbilisi, caused various reactions in Georgia.
The report of 102 pages gives detailed information about the dispersal of peaceful demonstrators and TV Company “Imedi”; the materials were provided by eye-witnesses of the dispersal. It is the most scrupulous report of November 7 events so far.

The presidential election are coming closer and closer. Despite the constant claims of opposition on numerous cases of abrogation during the pre-election campaign, almost nothing has been changed. A part of society standing on the edge of up-coming elections prefer to be quiet while another part does not avoid assumption of current events directly and reacts acutely.